The 7 Rules for Building a Successful Team

Building a successful business involves assembling a successful team of individuals who are skilled in their area of expertise. Your team should be composed of people who are at the top of their field and can help you further expand your business. You will not be able to develop a thriving business alone – this will be a collective effort.

The hard part of the equation is finding the right set of people who will flourish as employees of your organization. You first need to identify the positions that need to be filled. You will then need to determine how you can attract the best candidates to your company so that you can make the right hire. This helps you avoid hiring individuals only because you are desperate for someone to fill a position.

Beyond your employees performing on an individual basis, it is also your responsibility to double up as a coach who eggs the team on and helps them improve. Business is a lot like sports – no one individual is greater than the entire team. No matter how hard an individual works, their performance will equate to nothing if the team loses. Your team needs to be in competition with your competitors and not one other. Once the team aspect is ingrained in all of your employees, your company will experience tremendous growth and success.

If you want to know how to build a winning team, follow these 7 rules of team building:

1.Everybody should be focused on the same goals.

No one person is greater than the team. If one person has and is following his / her own agenda, their selfishness negatively affects the performance of the entire team. It is your responsibility as a leader to recognize this behavior so that you can correct it immediately. You do not want personal pursuits to contaminate the team structure that you have worked hard to build.

Set goals for your company and establish the benchmarks that each individual on your team should meet so that the stated goals are accomplished. This is how you get everyone in your organization to work on the same page. When it is every man for themselves, nothing gets accomplished because the actions of a dysfunctional team are not building upon one another. Setting the course of action to be taken helps to prevent such a situation from happening. You are the leader, the captain of the ship – but your company will go only as far as your team’s performance allows.

2. Make winning the priority.

It does not matter which position each individual is in on your team — the only thing that should be on their mind is winning. When this is the held attitude of all on your team, winning becomes easier. This works by setting goals for each team member to accomplish on an individual level, but also ensuring their individual performance aligns with those of everybody else’s on your team.

Winning should be your team’s main priority because that helps keep everyone on track. Each individual knows the expectations and goals that are required of them – causing them to become more productive and effective with their actions. This is how a winning culture is established within your organization.

3. Instill a committed work-ethic.

Even if you have very talented individuals on your team, that amounts to nothing if they do not believe in working hard on a consistent basis. Laziness leads to negative results and in return, a failing business.

Hard work is required for all businesses, no matter the size. Every member on your team needs to be committed and passionate about the vision of your organization. Some might assume working hard equates to a boring, no-fun company but this is hardly true. Hard work is winning, as no one needs to be worried about losing jobs due to continual revenue and profit. Bonuses can happen, salaries can be increased, and many other incentives can happen for employees that keep them happy.

4. Establish the importance of communication.

The teams that win are those that know how to collaborate well and have great communication. No strategy can be executed upon, no matter how well designed, if communication is not happening.

As a leader, you will have to enforce the importance of great communication. Make it a requirement for your team members to always be in conversation with one another. Every person needs to know their role and how they can help other team members accomplish their goals. This mindset is what leads to great team chemistry and performance.

5. Look for the best talent.

Your company’s success is dependent on the culture you have chosen to establish. If you do not create a fun but disciplined culture, you will be operating a zoo instead of a business. You have to define roles and responsibilities, as well as identify the right skills and people that fit those roles. But never hire based on talent alone. You want to hire talented people who also fit into the culture you have established. Never be afraid to hire people who are smarter than you. Their ability to get things done is how you will become the operator of a successful business. Sell potential hires on your vision so that they will be eager to join your organization. The best and brightest are going to be attracted if it is a good vision, if they can sense your passion, and if you can clearly articulate the execution plan.

6. Sell the vision to inspire passion.

As a leader, you have to establish the vision, set the goals, and motivate your team to rally around the mission. Everybody should want to win not only for themselves but also for the team. The companies that fail are those that do not energize their employees — making them feel like an expendable piece, rather than a valued member of the team. Communicate to each member how their role contributes to the overall performance of the entire team. Having them understand that they are responsible too for the success of the other team members motivates them to put their best effort forward all the time. They become committed to the vision, which is exactly what you want for continued success.

7. Apply a coach’s mindset to your leadership.

Teams are made up of individuals with specialized skills. Each individual understands what is required of them and works to produce the expected results. As a leader, you are the coach who studies and analyzes each member of your team to know how to place them in the right position. You have to help manage their performances so that they can perform to the best of their capabilities. Know each member of your team better than they know themselves. When you understand their strengths and weaknesses, you know what works for them and what does not.

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